Daily Home Renovation Tips

Today we would like to write about usage considerations.

Now, the type of solar air heating device we have purchased does have its limitations.  This type of heating device will not generate any heat:

• at night (how can it as the sun is not out at night )
• on cloudy days (clouds limit the amount of sun light)
• in shade (one needs a south or south-ish facing wall or roof surface to install the unit)

A friend of mine (yes Rebbecca in New Brunswick I do consider you a friend of mine :-) ) had the dealer in her area for the same solar air collector manufacturer evaluate their home situated in a rural area of NB and they determined that there was too much fog too frequently in the winter where she lived for a unit to be cost effective. I don’t have the specifics on this but understand that you have to evaluate your particular situation.

For example, most houses in urban areas may need to install a solar air heating unit on a south facing area of their roof because their neighbor’s home behind them give too much shade against their own south facing wall.

Each situation is different.

So, the bottom line is that these units will not generate heat 24 hours a day. They are a supplemental heating device during the day.

Now, below are several pictures of the area on the sough facing wall where we plan to install the unit; specifically just to the left of the right most window in the following pictures.

What I want you to notice is the time of the day that the pictures were taken and where the shade falls on the area, again, to the left of the right most window.

                 10:10 AM                                           10:30 AM

                   2:35 PM                                               3:30 PM

So, what do you think? How many hours of direct sun light do you thing we will receive on our solar air heating unit?

Nope. It is not  approximately 5  hours, the difference between the time of the first photo and the time at which the last photo was taken.

Why?

Well, the above pictures were taken in the fall before the leaves had fallen from the trees. The shadows in the morning pictures were from a deciduous tree. When the leaves have fallen, they product no shadows. 

So, the area where we plan to place the solar air unit from Cansolair will receive a total of 7 hours of direct sun light.

Remember, each situation is different.

Next time, we’ll address why we selected the Cansolair solar air heating collector rather than it’s competitors.

To continue with the next article in this series, simply select this link to Part 3.